are not confined to means or instruments of any kind : yet, in his operations, he always deals with us as rational creatures ; drawing us, not by force, as inanimated beings, but " with the cords of a man, and with the bands of lovem."]
This, then, is the preparatory work, whereby " God causes us to pass under the rod :" and this is the commencement of that conversion, which we are next to mark, II. In its progress —
God's ultimate view, in these diversified dispensa- tions, is, to bring us into the bond of his covenant, because it is only by virtue of that covenant, and through an interest in it, that sinful man can be saved. When, therefore, he has made us to pass under the rod,
1. He reveals that covenant to us —
[Previous to a work of grace upon our souls, we are altogether ignorant of the covenant which God has made with us, and with his only-begotten Son in our behalf. We have, perhaps, some general notions about repentance and faith; but we have no distinct view of the Saviour undertaking for us to expiate our guilt by the sacrifice of himself, and to work out a righteousness for us by his own obedience unto death. We see not our need of such a covenant : much less do we so behold its excellency, as to " comprehend the breadth and length and depth and height of his love " displayed in it. But, when God, in tender mercy, arrests us in our course, and directs our attention to eternal things, he opens and unfolds to us this covenant, in all its merciful provisions : he shewn us, that in this covenant there is abundant security, both for the honour of God and the happiness of man ; inasmuch as, by the provisions of it, all his perfections are glorified, and every want of man is supplied. Thus " his secret is with us, and he shews us his covenant11."]
2. He enables us to lay hold on it —
[There is much reluctance in us, at first, to embrace this covenant. It is too humiliating for us ; in that it requires us to abandon all self-dependence, and to look for acceptance with God solely through the merits of his dear Son. But when once we have passed under the rod of our divine Shep- herd, and been set apart for him, then comes " the day of his power; and we are made willing" to be saved on any terms which it has pleased God to prescribe. The salvation of our
m John vi. 44. with Hos. xi. 4. n Ps. xxv. 14.